The telecommunications industry has developed on a country by country basis, with each country typically having multiple different network providers. Each network subscriber is registered with one of these providers, whose network then becomes their “home” network. Subscribers are allowed to travel to different countries and use the networks of other providers, but they remain registered with their home network operator.
For subscribers to securely communicate with their home network, this arrangement requires each subscriber to have a unique identity (e.g. their IMSI—International Mobile Subscriber Identifier), as well as unique authentication information. Typically the unique authentication information is a secret key shared with the network provider, and so the authentication information provided is for sole use with the network provider. Currently this information is issued to each subscriber via a SIM card when they register for service with a network provider. That is, the SIM card has an IMSI and a unique key stored thereon. In fact, it is a requirement of the telecommunications standards that each SIM card be specific to a particular network (the “home” network) and to have been issued under the control of the network operator.
In practice, SIM cards are supplied to the network operator in batches from a trusted SIM supplier. The SIM supplier will use information which it already holds to generate the SIM card bearing the necessary identification and authentication information and a particular IMSI. The SIM supplier will also advise the network operator of the data loaded onto the SIM card. This arrangement works adequately where the batch of SIMs is for use only by the particular network operator in their region.
This arrangement has worked adequately where the network provider has allocated the SIM cards with mobile terminals to individual users in their region. However, distribution chains are becoming less country specific. Therefore the problem has arisen, particularly for global companies like Vodafone, of terminals being allocated a SIM without the eventual country, and accordingly without the country-specific network provider, being known. In other words, this non-country specific distribution model conflicts with network requirements.
This issue is also a problem for telematic applications. Telemetry is the convergence between telecommunications and information processing so as to allow remote measurement and reporting. The applications of this technology are many and varied, including vehicle tracking, satellite navigation devices (e.g. Tom Tom™), the gathering of freight logistics data, vehicle fleet management (e.g. relating to the maintenance or breakdown of the vehicle), traffic camera management, measurement reporting for utility companies and equipment maintenance notifications/updates upon problems being detected. A key requirement of telemetry is the provision of a SIM with the equipment in order to allow information to be sent from, and/or received by, the equipment. Again, the eventual destination of a telematics terminal and its SIM may be unknown, which is problematic.
To illustrate a specific example of this problem, a telematics terminal with its SIM card may be incorporated into a vehicle (e.g. for providing telephone and data services for an occupant as well as transmitting/receiving other information relating to the operation of the vehicle). In such a case, the country to which the vehicle is exported may not be known at the time of manufacture. This would mean that a SIM appropriate for its destination country and applicable network provider cannot be installed during manufacturing of the vehicle and could only be installed when the destination country of the vehicle is known.
Similarly, if a user changes their country of residence, and wishes to register their mobile terminal in this new country, even if the umbrella network provider is the same (e.g. Vodafone), the operating conditions will be different due to the country-specific nature of the telecommunications industry, and so it may be necessary for the user to obtain a new SIM from the new local network provider (e.g. Vodafone Germany as opposed to the previous provider Vodafone UK).
A related problem is where an individual subscriber wishes to changes providers within their particular country (e.g. from Orange UK to Vodafone UK). As the information on the SIM includes information only usable by the subscriber's initial network provider, it may be necessary for the subscriber to obtain a new SIM with new unique authentication information from the new provider.
This allocation and swapping over to a new SIM card when transferring to a new provider is usually acceptable to individuals, as it generally does not happen on a regular basis. However, for telematic applications, the issue is more complex.
In these circumstances, each entity managing a telematics application requiring the use of SIMs will have an arrangement with a particular network provider in order to be able to send and receive information from and/or to the SIMs. This arrangement will be satisfactory as long as the managing company is happy to stay with their particular network provider. However, even with ever-present competition from rival network providers, the changing over of each and every applicable SIM would be a labour intensive and costly requirement, and therefore a disincentive to take up a more competitive rate/tariff for communicating with their assemblage of SIMs.
This problem is actually one likely to be exacerbated in the near future, as the sheer volume of telematic terminals in use is forecast to increase considerably.
There is therefore a need to overcome or at least ameliorate at least one of the problems of the prior art.